New Motor Mounts .... need them or not?

[SergMSP]

Hey All,

I keep hearing that it is necesarry to change the motor mounts in the MSP. But there are alot of pros and cons..anyone have an opinion on this? it is needed only if you have certain mods or no matter what?

(from what ive read)
Cons-

• Makes car stiffer and you feel shake?
• its a b**** to change rear motor mount

Pros-

• Safety measure so engine doesnt crack or sumthin?
• stock mounts are weak

also its 139$ for the set...which isnt bad but still...need input!

Serg

 

[zumzumzoom03]

I recently had some fun with the motor mounts. My shifter moved a lot and when I had it loaded up the shifter would almost pop but I think it was just the engine torquieng. To resolve that I installed RR front motor mounts which should be the least amount of vibrations. It fixed the issue but I did have noticeably more vibrations. Throttle response was better though. I just took my car into the shop to get the lsd replaced and had them look at the rear and it was shot. I believe that was the original issue with the shifter moving. I just put a bandaid on it with inserts. So the shop is replacing the rear motor mount and I am going to take the front motor mount insert out and see how it rolls. I don't like vibrations they cause rattles. Its just my opinion. If you are doing a race car or not a daily drive than inserts would be good. Mine is a daily driver however.

 

[SergMSP]

I recently had some fun with the motor mounts. My shifter moved a lot and when I had it loaded up the shifter would almost pop but I think it was just the engine torquieng. To resolve that I installed RR front motor mounts which should be the least amount of vibrations. It fixed the issue but I did have noticeably more vibrations. Throttle response was better though. I just took my car into the shop to get the lsd replaced and had them look at the rear and it was shot. I believe that was the original issue with the shifter moving. I just put a bandaid on it with inserts. So the shop is replacing the rear motor mount and I am going to take the front motor mount insert out and see how it rolls. I don't like vibrations they cause rattles. Its just my opinion. If you are doing a race car or not a daily drive than inserts would be good. Mine is a daily driver however.

hmm..is the rear still a b**** to change if you just do the inserts??

 

[zumzumzoom03]

Yes it is because you have to pull the engine mount out to put the inserts in.

 

[AgentOrange]

There's a great how to for this in the how to section, It didnt take me long to install the rear mount, theres a lil vibration but I dont mind it. Car feels alot better with all new mounts, 2 of mine were completely blown when I changed them. I just bent the wireing harness bolt out of the way when changing the rear one, took me about an hour to do, definately want to use some liquid wrench on the bolts

 

[PlatinumMSP]

wow this is a class A newb thread... but heres what you need to know

The stock motormounts are weak they allow for way too much engine movement which can damage your engine and transmition. It also decreases your torque and power, and general drivability of your car. Upgraded motor mounts come with different stiffness ratings (durometers). AWR offers 70,88, and 95 durometer motor mounts. ********** offers 60 durometer motor mounts and sells the AWR's as well. The higher the durometer the less your engine will move but the motor vibration you will get in the cabin. Its a trade off. The movement from your engine is moved to your cabin. For all practical purposes the 60 and 70 durometer motor mounts will do the job for you. Yes the rear motor mount is a b**** to install. Take it to a shop, they'll charge 1 hour of labor for it although it will take them 3-4 hours to do. You must change both the front and rear with the same durometer motormounts otherwise it will lead to the destruction of the lower durometer motormount. The side motormounts are optional, they significantly reduce the vibration on your car. If you only change one motor mount, the others will be ripped and broken within' a week of driving. My advice, get the ********** 60 durometer mounts, all of them.

 

[SergMSP]

wow this is a class A newb thread... but heres what you need to know

The stock motormounts are weak they allow for way too much engine movement which can damage your engine and transmition. It also decreases your torque and power, and general drivability of your car. Upgraded motor mounts come with different stiffness ratings (durometers). AWR offers 70,88, and 95 durometer motor mounts. ********** offers 60 durometer motor mounts and sells the AWR's as well. The higher the durometer the less your engine will move but the motor vibration you will get in the cabin. Its a trade off. The movement from your engine is moved to your cabin. For all practical purposes the 60 and 70 durometer motor mounts will do the job for you. Yes the rear motor mount is a b**** to install. Take it to a shop, they'll charge 1 hour of labor for it although it will take them 3-4 hours to do. You must change both the front and rear with the same durometer motormounts otherwise it will lead to the destruction of the lower durometer motormount. The side motormounts are optional, they significantly reduce the vibration on your car. If you only change one motor mount, the others will be ripped and broken within' a week of driving. My advice, get the ********** 60 durometer mounts, all of them.

Wow, nice write up, thanks. Appreciate the info, ill probably end up getting the AWR front and rear 70 durometer...
You confused me when you said that the side mounts are optional, but significantly reduce vibration.............vibration in the cabin, or in the engine? Thanks again, sorry for the newbness comin out of me...

 

[BOOSTR]

No its not necessary to change them IMO. Solid mounts will not allow for any flex or movement at all. The OEM mounts are designed to dampen the shock to the engine and drivetrain and they do a good job at that. Some people make it seem like the engine is going to jump out of the car. Mine has yet to do that with 61,000 miles on it. I'm curious how many people on the ****** up LSD list have changed there mounts.

If your trying to be the next John Force in your MSP, then by all means get some stiffer mounts. For most daily driver situations, the oem mounts will work just fine.

 

[SergMSP]

No its not necessary to change them IMO. Solid mounts will not allow for any flex or movement at all. The OEM mounts are designed to dampen the shock to the engine and drivetrain and they do a good job at that. Some people make it seem like the engine is going to jump out of the car. Mine has yet to do that with 61,000 miles on it. I'm curious how many people on the ****** up LSD list have changed there mounts.

If your trying to be the next John Force in your MSP, then by all means get some stiffer mounts. For most daily driver situations, the oem mounts will work just fine.

sweet...i think i will post on that LSD thread to see how many changed their mounts ....thanks man. im guessing you havent changed yours either...? Saw your mod list and my setup is pretty much the same as yours...

 

[BOOSTR]

Nope, I still have the OEM ones. When they go, I will use OEM mounts again. I am not saying that stiffer mounts are the cause of broken LSDs, but I would not be surprised if having them on and doing what you should not be doing to your LSD, only compounds the situation. Think about it, you've cemented the engine in place with the stiffer mounts, what do you think the weakest link is then? Just my opinion.

 

[PlatinumMSP]

No its not necessary to change them IMO. Solid mounts will not allow for any flex or movement at all. The OEM mounts are designed to dampen the shock to the engine and drivetrain and they do a good job at that. Some people make it seem like the engine is going to jump out of the car. Mine has yet to do that with 61,000 miles on it. I'm curious how many people on the ****** up LSD list have changed there mounts.

If your trying to be the next John Force in your MSP, then by all means get some stiffer mounts. For most daily driver situations, the oem mounts will work just fine.

I beg to differ man. My stock exhaust broke because I had the stock motor mounts. Let me prove it to you.... next time your on the freeway get in second or third gear and wide open throttle and get up to 5000 rpms and let off the gas completely, your car will lash like crazy! If you've ever seen our car with stock mounts on a dyno, you'll see the engine looking like it wants to jump out of the car. The weak motormounts contribute greatly to the lsd breaking on our cars. More often than not people find theyre stock mounts already ripped when they decide to finally change them. My front motor mount was torn to s***. They are necessary for all MSP's. Other protege's have much less power and torque and thats what the stock motor mounts were designed for.

 

[PlatinumMSP]

Wow, nice write up, thanks. Appreciate the info, ill probably end up getting the AWR front and rear 70 durometer...
You confused me when you said that the side mounts are optional, but significantly reduce vibration.............vibration in the cabin, or in the engine? Thanks again, sorry for the newbness comin out of me...

Hey its all good bro, I've learned everything about my ride from this forum and experience.... The side motormounts will lower the vibration in the cabin and help stabalize the side to side engine movement.

 

[69RMSP]

What are your thoughts on the SU motor mount kit. I think im going to get it

Hey its all good bro, I've learned everything about my ride from this forum and experience.... The side motormounts will lower the vibration in the cabin and help stabalize the side to side engine movement.

 

[PlatinumMSP]

What are your thoughts on the SU motor mount kit. I think im going to get it

I think the SU motor mount kit is the best one out there for a couple reasons. First off, it provides lower durometer bushings which are perfect for our cars. Higher durometer bushings are severe overkill, think about it... if you buy a 300 hp car from a factory do you feel vibration throughout the entire cabin? No I think not. 2nd... they look just badass compared to our stock and awr motor mounts. 3rd... well you get the idea... Ask Cullen over at ********** about them he sells the AWR's too so he can tell you whats up for sure, tell him i sent you.

 

[Black_Protege_5]

I would recommend them. All of my stock mounts were ripped and broken. My front one was in 2 pieces. The stock mounts do dampen the vibration obviously but they get destroyed. I am amazed your motor mounts are still good after 61k miles. Have you removed them to check? The street unit ones are going to be softer and create less vibration but are twice as much. The vibration is not that bad and I have already gotten used to it. But yes I would change them. This should be the first mod for every protege. And if you get an aftermarket exhaust the engine movement will crack it. Just don't get any S or J pipes until you replace them.

Also what platinumMSP was trying to say is that the side inserts are not that necessary. The main ones are the front and rear. But the side inserts will help to absorb some on the vibration. Mainly just replace the passenger side mount.

 

[SergMSP]

I would recommend them. All of my stock mounts were ripped and broken. My front one was in 2 pieces. The stock mounts do dampen the vibration obviously but they get destroyed. I am amazed your motor mounts are still good after 61k miles. Have you removed them to check? The street unit ones are going to be softer and create less vibration but are twice as much. The vibration is not that bad and I have already gotten used to it. But yes I would change them. This should be the first mod for every protege. And if you get an aftermarket exhaust the engine movement will crack it. Just don't get any S or J pipes until you replace them.

Also what platinumMSP was trying to say is that the side inserts are not that necessary. The main ones are the front and rear. But the side inserts will help to absorb some on the vibration. Mainly just replace the passenger side mount.

Sweet...good info guys. Thanks...I'm leaning towards changing them since I am getting the apexi downpipe and have a few mods that I dont want to ruin or damage because of the engine moving...I would get the SU set in minute but theyre too damn expensive man...ill ask cullen to see if he can hook it up...but if not, i can get the entire awr set for 194 and SU set is 329...thats 135 bucks i could spend on something else..you know?

 

[69RMSP]

Is the SU motor mount kit hard enought to not crack my cs s-j pipes?

 

[Black_Protege_5]

Is the SU motor mount kit hard enought to not crack my cs s-j pipes?

Oh yea. Just the way the casing is machined it allows for less vibration. Plus the mounts look much beefier. Is it needed not sure since my AWR's do a good enough job. The durometer is not much less then awr. If you don't want to spend money on motor mounts you can fill the stock ones but I don't know how long it will last.

But I would look for someone who has the street unit kit and ask them. My motor does not move at all. So I can recommend the AWR kit but don't have a lot of input on the SU kit.

 

[PlatinumMSP]

Sweet...good info guys. Thanks...I'm leaning towards changing them since I am getting the apexi downpipe and have a few mods that I dont want to ruin or damage because of the engine moving...I would get the SU set in minute but theyre too damn expensive man...ill ask cullen to see if he can hook it up...but if not, i can get the entire awr set for 194 and SU set is 329...thats 135 bucks i could spend on something else..you know?

yeah he sells both of them... theres a big price difference there too because he actually has side motor mounts and not just side inserts like awr..

 

[MP3Performance]

I was in the same situation as you are in now in spring with my MP3. I needed to replace the engine mounts since I had crazy backlash while letting off the gas, and the infomous "wheel hop". I was considering the AWR or OEM replacments. In the end I chose the AWR 70 durometer and side inserts. I had a mechanic install the rear, and I did the front and sides (not hard at all, just need a hour or two). The front and rear were both torn much worse then I expected. I was also suprised that the passangers side was starting to tear, but saw no damage to the drivers side one. I got the car only a couple months before that from a middle aged woman, and was only the second owner. I could only imagine what will eventualy happen to the mounts in MSP's after they start putting on decent milage, since I am without a turbo and LSD and had a decent amount of mount damage. I am glad I chose the AWR since they give awsome throttle response and no more stupid swaying motion from the engine. The only problem I have is when I have the lights and AC on. It starts to get a little ridiculas with the vibration, but thats only when standing at a light. Other then that I see no downsides. When driving there is almost no difference in cabin vibration compared to stock. If you chose the AWR or equal, be sure to get the side inserts, since they actualy do help to prevent damage to the side mounts.